US9246414B2 - Piezoelectric power generator - Google Patents

Piezoelectric power generator Download PDF

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US9246414B2
US9246414B2 US13/963,068 US201313963068A US9246414B2 US 9246414 B2 US9246414 B2 US 9246414B2 US 201313963068 A US201313963068 A US 201313963068A US 9246414 B2 US9246414 B2 US 9246414B2
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weight member
generating device
power generator
piezoelectric
piezoelectric power
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US20130320807A1 (en
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Hitoshi Sakaguchi
Chikahiro Horiguchi
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Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd
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Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02N—ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H02N2/00—Electric machines in general using piezoelectric effect, electrostriction or magnetostriction
    • H02N2/18—Electric machines in general using piezoelectric effect, electrostriction or magnetostriction producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators
    • H02N2/186—Vibration harvesters
    • H02N2/188—Vibration harvesters adapted for resonant operation

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a piezoelectric power generator that generates electric power by converting mechanical energy to electrical energy using a piezoelectric effect.
  • Patent Document 1 discloses a piezoelectric power generator having a cantilever structure such as that illustrated in FIG. 12 .
  • This piezoelectric power generator includes a generating device 52 and a weight 53 .
  • One end of the generating device 52 is secured to a frame-like supporting member 51 , and the other end of the generating device 52 is a free end.
  • the weight 53 is provided for excitation and is attached to the free end of the generating device 52 .
  • the generating device 52 has a unimorph structure in which a piezoelectric element 52 b is bonded to one principal surface of a metal plate 52 a .
  • the entire generating device 52 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.
  • a free vibration is excited in the generating device 52 by the action of the weight 53 , and an electric charge can be generated by a piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element 52 b .
  • the generated electric charge is extracted from charge collecting electrodes formed on the front and back surfaces of the piezoelectric element 52 b.
  • the amount of power generation of a piezoelectric element is determined by a value obtained by dividing the product of the square of a piezoelectric constant of a piezoelectric body forming the piezoelectric element, the square of stress applied to the piezoelectric body, and a volume of the piezoelectric body by a dielectric constant of the piezoelectric body.
  • the amount of power generation W is proportional to the product of the square of stress ⁇ applied to the piezoelectric body and a volume V of the piezoelectric body as given by the expression W ⁇ 2 ⁇ V.
  • the stress ⁇ has a greater influence on the amount of power generation W than the volume V does.
  • the stress ⁇ applied to the piezoelectric body it is effective to increase the amount of displacement of the generating device.
  • the amount of displacement of the generating device cannot be significantly increased simply by supporting the generating device 52 with the supporting member 51 in a cantilever manner.
  • Patent Document 2 discloses a piezoelectric power generator in which a plurality of generating devices having different resonance frequencies are supported in a cantilever manner. As illustrated in FIG. 13 , this piezoelectric power generator includes a plurality of generating devices 61 to 63 each having one end secured to a base 60 and the other end being a free end, and weights 64 to 66 provided for excitation and attached to the respective free ends of the generating devices 61 to 63 . The generating devices 61 to 63 have different lengths. This piezoelectric power generator is designed to generate electric power in a wide frequency range even when the frequency of external vibration varies. However, it is not possible to increase the amount of power generation at a specific frequency.
  • Patent Document 3 discloses another piezoelectric power generator. As illustrated in FIG. 14 , this piezoelectric power generator includes a lever 71 having a cantilever structure in which one end thereof is secured to a metal angle 70 and the other end thereof is a free end, a weight 72 attached to the free end of the lever 71 , and a multilayer piezoelectric element 73 connected to a midpoint (point of action) of the lever 71 .
  • This piezoelectric power generator amplifies an external force using the principle of leverage to increase the force applied to the multilayer piezoelectric element 73 . However, since only a compressive load in the thickness direction acts on the multilayer piezoelectric element 73 , the amount of distortion of the piezoelectric element is not large enough to significantly increase the amount of power generation.
  • Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent No. 3170965
  • Patent Document 2 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-245970
  • Patent Document 3 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-146663
  • An object of the present invention is to propose a piezoelectric power generator that amplifies a displacement of a generating device and generates a large amount of electric power.
  • the present invention provides a piezoelectric power generator that includes a resonator including a first weight member supported on a base member via a spring means; a second weight member; and a generating device including a vibrating plate having a piezoelectric element bonded to a principal surface thereof, the vibrating plate having one end secured to the first weight member and the other end being a free end to which the second weight member is attached, the generating device being capable of bending and vibrating in an up-and-down direction.
  • the first weight member swings at a predetermined frequency about an axis perpendicular to a bending vibration plane of the generating device.
  • the first weight member preferably swings in accordance with an external vibration applied to the base member, and the generating device preferably bends and vibrates in synchronization with the swing of the first weight member.
  • a feature of the present invention is that an external vibration applied to the base member is not directly transmitted to the generating device, and energy of the external vibration is amplified by the resonator and transmitted to the generating device.
  • the resonator converts an up-and-down external vibration to a swing motion about an axis perpendicular to the bending vibration plane of the generating device, so as to swing the first weight member.
  • the second weight member moves up and down in synchronization with the swing of the first weight member, it is possible to amplify the bending vibration of the generating device and cause the generating device to bend and vibrate more significantly than in the case where the generating device is directly secured to the base member. This increases bending stress applied to the generating device and increases the amount of power generation.
  • a mass of the first weight member is preferably greater than a mass of the second weight member.
  • a mass of the first weight member is greater than a mass of the second weight member, since the first weight member has kinetic energy greater than that of the second weight member, the kinetic energy of the first weight member can be effectively supplied to the bending vibration of the generating device. This makes it possible to further amplify the amount of displacement of the generating device.
  • a swing axis of the first weight member may be set to be closer to the free end side of the generating device than the center of gravity of the first weight member is.
  • the swing axis of the first weight member may be closer to either the fixed end side or the free end side of the generating device than the center of gravity of the first weight member is.
  • an angular change occurs simultaneously with the up-and-down change in position of the first weight member that supports the one end of the generating device.
  • the amount of displacement of the generating device further increases. This means that the amount of power generation increases.
  • a resonance frequency of the resonator is preferably lower than a resonance frequency of the generating device including the second weight member.
  • the present inventors examined the piezoelectric power generator which combines the resonator with the generating device, and found that when the resonance frequency of the resonator was lower than that of the generating device, the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor were higher than those in the case where the two resonance systems, the resonator and the generating device, had the same resonance frequency.
  • the spring constant of the spring means of the resonator and the masses of the first weight member and the second weight member it is possible to amplify the bending displacement of the generating device and increase the amount of power generation.
  • the ratio of a resonance frequency f1 of the resonator in the first-order mode to a resonance frequency fa of the generating device including the second weight member preferably satisfies 0.4 ⁇ f1/fa ⁇ 0.95.
  • the resonator has a plurality of resonant modes, from the first to higher order modes, depending on the configuration of the spring means.
  • a resonance frequency in the first-order mode refers to the lowest of resonance frequencies of the resonator. Vibrational energy in the first-order mode is greater that in higher order modes.
  • the resonance frequency of the resonator in the first-order mode is lower than the resonance frequency of the generating device, the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor are higher.
  • the frequency ratio f1/fa is in the range of 0.4 to 0.95. If the frequency ratio f1/fa is less than 0.4, the spring constant of the spring means is too low and, due to the lack of restoring force, the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor tend to be lower than those when the frequency ratio f1/fa is in the range described above. If the frequency ratio f1/fa is greater than 0.95, the spring constant of the spring means is too high and, because the swing of the first weight member is reduced, the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor tend to be lower than those when the frequency ratio f1/fa is in the range described above.
  • the spring means of the resonator may include a plurality of coil springs. Using a plurality of coil springs, which have good linearity, makes it possible to vibrate the first weight member in a mode for swinging about a horizontal axis.
  • the resonator converts an external vibration to a swing motion about an axis perpendicular to the bending vibration plane of the generating device, and the second weight member moves up and down in synchronization with the swing of the first weight member. Since this amplifies the bending vibration of the generating device, the generating device can bend and vibrate more significantly than in the case where the generating device is directly secured to the base member. It is thus possible to increase the amount of power generation.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a lateral view of the piezoelectric power generator illustrated in FIG. 1 , the lateral view illustrating the piezoelectric power generator at a standstill.
  • FIG. 3 is a lateral view of the piezoelectric power generator illustrated in FIG. 1 , the lateral view illustrating a displacement of the piezoelectric power generator in the first-order mode.
  • FIG. 4 is a lateral view of the piezoelectric power generator illustrated in FIG. 1 , the lateral view illustrating a displacement of the piezoelectric power generator in the second-order mode.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates frequency characteristics of a voltage amplification factor and a power amplification factor of the piezoelectric power generator obtained with different spring constants of coil springs of a resonator.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates displacement-frequency characteristics of the resonator alone and a generating device alone.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a relationship between a spring constant and a resonator-normalized frequency.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates a relationship between a resonator-normalized frequency and a voltage amplification factor, a relationship between a resonator-normalized frequency and a power amplification factor, and a relationship between a resonator-normalized frequency and a piezoelectric generator-normalized frequency.
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 11 provides a perspective view and a plan view of a generating device used in a fourth embodiment of the piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a piezoelectric power generator described in Patent Document 1.
  • FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a piezoelectric power generator described in Patent Document 2.
  • FIG. 14 is a lateral view of a piezoelectric power generator described in Patent Document 3.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first embodiment of a piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • a piezoelectric power generator A of the present embodiment includes a resonator 10 and a cantilever-type generating device 20 .
  • the resonator 10 includes a base member 11 , a spring means 12 , and a first weight member 13 elastically supported on the base member 11 via the spring means 12 .
  • the base member 11 of the present embodiment is a flat plate-like member, the base member 11 may be part of a case or the like, and may be of any shape as long as it can receive an external vibration.
  • the first weight member 13 of the present embodiment is L-shaped in lateral view, and is composed of a flat support plate portion 13 a and a support base portion 13 b standing at a back end of the support plate portion 13 a .
  • the first weight member 13 is formed by a rigid mass body, such as a metal body.
  • the first weight member 13 is a swinging weight member having the function of swinging the generating device 20 .
  • the spring means 12 includes two coil springs 12 a and 12 b interposed between the base member 11 and the support plate portion 13 a of the first weight member 13 .
  • the coil springs 12 a and 12 b of the present embodiment have the same spring constant, but they may have different spring constants.
  • the coil springs 12 a and 12 b are disposed directly below the generating device 20 , and spaced apart in the length direction (Y-axis direction).
  • the coil springs 12 a and 12 b are each formed by a coil spring having a spring constant of 0.04 N/mm to 0.50 N/mm.
  • the generating device 20 includes a vibrating plate 21 , such as a metal plate, and a piezoelectric element 22 bonded to either one or both principal surfaces of the vibrating plate 21 .
  • the vibrating plate 21 extends along the support plate portion 13 a .
  • One end 21 a of the vibrating plate 21 is secured to the upper surface of the support base portion 13 b of the first weight member 13 , whereas the other end of the vibrating plate 21 is a free end.
  • the other end of the vibrating plate 21 forms a weight mounting portion 21 b having a wide shape.
  • a second weight member 23 is attached to the lower surface of the weight mounting portion 21 b of the vibrating plate 21 .
  • the second weight member 23 is formed by a mass body, such as a metal body.
  • the second weight member 23 is a weight member for amplifying the amount of displacement, the weight member having the function of increasing the amount of displacement of the generating device 20 .
  • the generating device 20 is capable of bending and vibrating in the up-and-down direction.
  • the width direction of the generating device 20 is defined an X-axis direction
  • the length direction of the generating device 20 is defined as a Y-axis direction
  • the thickness direction (up-and-down direction) of the generating device 20 is defined as a Z-axis direction.
  • a bending vibration plane of the generating device 20 is a Y-Z axial plane.
  • the vibrating plate 21 and the piezoelectric element 22 of the generating device 20 are in the shape of an isosceles triangle that gradually narrows from the one end 21 a toward the other end of the vibrating plate 21 , but they may be in the shape of a rectangle having a constant width or may be of any shape.
  • the generating device 20 has a unimorph structure in which the piezoelectric element 22 made of piezoelectric ceramics or the like is bonded to one principal surface of the vibrating plate 21 .
  • the metal plate 21 has a thickness of 75 ⁇ m and is made of 42 Ni
  • the piezoelectric element 22 has a thickness of 75 ⁇ m and is made of PZT piezoelectric ceramics.
  • the generating device 20 of the present embodiment has a unimorph structure
  • the generating device 20 may have a bimorph structure in which the piezoelectric element 22 is bonded to both principal surfaces of the vibrating plate 21 .
  • the position for bonding the piezoelectric element 22 is not limited to a region outside the one end 21 a of the vibrating plate 21 secured to the support base portion 13 b as in the present embodiment, and may be a region including the one end 21 a .
  • piezoelectric element 22 When the piezoelectric element 22 is bonded to the lower principal surface of the vibrating plate 21 , a compressive stress always acts on the piezoelectric element 22 because of the influence of gravity acting on the second weight member 23 .
  • Piezoelectric ceramics generally has a higher mechanical strength against compressive stress than against tensile stress. Therefore, by bonding the piezoelectric element 22 in a direction in which the compressive stress acts, it is possible to improve the durability of the piezoelectric element 22 made of piezoelectric ceramics.
  • the piezoelectric element 22 may be made of any material that allows direct conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy. Besides piezoelectric ceramics, an organic piezoelectric material or a dielectric polymer material may be used as the material of the piezoelectric element 22 .
  • Charge collecting electrodes are formed on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element 22 , and the charge collecting electrode on one of the surfaces is electrically connected to the vibrating plate 21 .
  • the charge collecting electrodes on the piezoelectric element 22 are connected to a rectifier and electric storage circuit 25 (see FIG. 2 ).
  • the rectifier and electric storage circuit 25 has the function of rectifying and smoothing the output from the piezoelectric element 22 and storing power.
  • the rectifier and electric storage circuit which is publicly known, is not described in detail here.
  • the height dimension of the piezoelectric power generator A can be reduced.
  • the second weight member 23 and the support plate portion 13 a of the first weight member 13 have a space therebetween, so that even when the first weight member 13 is displaced maximally, the second weight member 23 and the support plate portion 13 a of the first weight member 13 can be prevented from coming into contact with each other.
  • a resonance frequency (first-order resonance point) of the generating device 20 can be changed by varying, for example, the Young's modulus, length, width, or thickness of the vibrating plate 21 or the mass of the second weight member 23 .
  • the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 is designed to be 15 Hz on the assumption that the piezoelectric power generator A is mounted on someone's clothes or belongings, or on vehicles such as bicycles or cars.
  • the mass of the first weight member 13 is preferably greater than the mass of the second weight member 23 .
  • the mass of the first weight member 13 is 24.0 g and the mass of the second weight member 23 is 10.2 g.
  • the mass of the first weight member 13 is greater than the mass of the second weight member 23 , if an external vibration is applied to the base member 11 , the first weight member 13 has kinetic energy greater than that of the second weight member 23 , and the kinetic energy of the first weight member 13 can be effectively supplied to the generating device 20 . This makes it possible to further amplify the amount of displacement of the generating device 20 .
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a displacement of the piezoelectric power generator A in the first-order mode of the resonator 10 .
  • the piezoelectric element 22 is omitted in FIG. 3 .
  • Solid lines represent a state of displacement, and dot-and-dash lines represent a state of standstill in FIG. 3 .
  • an up-and-down external vibration F acts on the base member 11
  • the first weight member 13 is swung up and down by the spring means 12 .
  • the resonator 10 swings about a swing axis CS perpendicular to the bending vibration plane of the generating device 20 .
  • the swing axis CS is parallel to the X-axis.
  • the swing axis CS of the first weight member 13 is closer to the free end side of the generating device 20 than the center of gravity G of the first weight member 13 is. That is, in the first-order mode, the swing axis CS is near the coil spring 12 b .
  • the coil spring 12 b expands and contracts very little, whereas the coil spring 12 a expands and contracts significantly.
  • the generating device 20 bends and vibrates up and down. For example, when the first weight member 13 swings clockwise as illustrated in FIG. 3( a ), the second weight member 23 is swung upward and the generating device 20 bends in a concave shape.
  • FIG 3 illustrates an example where the swing axis CS is located diagonally above the coil spring 12 b , the location of the swing axis CS may change depending on the settings. It is only necessary that the swing axis CS be closer to the free end side of the generating device 20 than the center of gravity G of the first weight member 13 is.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a displacement of the piezoelectric power generator A in the second-order mode of the resonator 10 .
  • the piezoelectric element 22 is omitted in FIG. 4 .
  • Solid lines represent a state of displacement, and dot-and-dash lines represent a state of standstill in FIG. 4 .
  • the first weight member 13 is swung up and down by the spring means 12 .
  • the resonator 10 swings about the swing axis CS perpendicular to the bending vibration plane of the generating device 20 .
  • the swing axis CS is parallel to the X-axis.
  • the swing axis CS of the first weight member 13 is closer to the fixed end side of the generating device 20 than the center of gravity G of the first weight member 13 is. That is, in the second-order mode, the swing axis CS is near the center of the support base portion 13 b of the first weight member 13 .
  • the amount of expansion and contraction of the coil spring 12 b is greater than that of the coil spring 12 a on the fixed end side of the generating device 20 .
  • the first weight member 13 swings counterclockwise as illustrated in FIG. 4( a )
  • the second weight member 23 is displaced downward and the generating device 20 bends in a convex shape.
  • the first weight member 13 swings clockwise as illustrated in FIG.
  • the second weight member 23 is displaced upward and the generating device 20 bends in a concave shape.
  • the amount of displacement of the generating device 20 in the second-order mode is smaller than that in the first-order mode, but is greater than that in the case where the generating device 20 is directly secured to the base member 11 .
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an example where the swing axis CS is located near the center of the support base portion 13 b , the location of the swing axis CS may change depending on the settings. It is only necessary that the swing axis CS be closer to the fixed end side of the generating device 20 than the center of gravity G of the first weight member 13 is.
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate resonant modes that occur when the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode is set to be lower than the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 .
  • Different resonant modes may occur if the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode is set to be higher than the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 or if the configuration of the spring means 12 is changed.
  • the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode can be determined by the spring constant of the spring means 12 or the mass of the first weight member 13 .
  • the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 can be determined by the mass of the second weight member 23 or the spring constant of the vibrating plate 21 .
  • FIG. 5 illustrates frequency characteristics of a voltage amplification factor and a power amplification factor of the piezoelectric power generator A obtained with different spring constants of the coil springs 12 a and 12 b of the spring means 12 of the resonator 10 .
  • a characteristic of the generating device 20 alone is also shown. The calculations were made on the assumption that the acceleration of input of an external vibration to the base member 11 was 100 mG, and that the generated voltage and power were voltage output and power consumed, with a matching resistor connected. In the case of FIG. 5 , the first-order mode of the resonator 10 was used as a dominant mode.
  • the piezoelectric power generator A which combines the resonator 10 with the generating device 20 , it is possible to provide a voltage amplification factor which is 1.9 to 5.1 times greater than that with the generating device 20 alone, and a power amplification factor which is 3.6 to 16.0 times greater than that with the generating device 20 alone.
  • the mechanism is that, under the same mass condition of the first weight member 13 of the resonator 10 , as the spring constant of the coil springs 12 a and 12 b forming the spring means 12 decreases, the amount of deformation of the coil springs 12 a and 12 b increases and a larger amount of kinetic energy is stored in the coil springs 12 a and 12 b , and hence a larger amount of energy flows from the resonator 10 to the generating device 20 .
  • the spring constant is too small, the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor decrease. This is because the coil springs 12 a and 12 b are too soft to ensure sufficient restoring force against deformation.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates displacement-frequency characteristics of the resonator 10 alone and the generating device 20 alone.
  • the spring constant of the coil springs 12 a and 12 b is 0.12 N/mm.
  • the generating device 20 alone there is a resonance point at about 15 Hz.
  • the resonator 10 which uses two coil springs 12 a and 12 b , there are resonance points at about 11 Hz and about 20 Hz in the first-order mode and in the second-order mode, respectively.
  • the dominant resonant mode of the piezoelectric power generator A is a mode obtained by coupling the resonance of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode to the resonance of the generating device 20 . Therefore, a relationship between the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode and the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 will be examined.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a relationship between a spring constant and resonator-normalized frequencies (i.e., a value obtained by normalizing the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode to the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 , and a value obtained by normalizing the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the second-order mode to the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 ).
  • a line where the resonator-normalized frequency is 1.0 represents the resonance point (15 Hz) of the generating device 20 .
  • the resonator-normalized frequency in the first-order mode is 1.0 or less, and the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode is lower than the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 .
  • the spring constant of the coil springs 12 a and 12 b is 0.07 N/mm or less, the resonator-normalized frequency in the second-order mode is also 1.0 or less, and the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the second-order mode is lower than the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 .
  • the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode is designed to be lower than the resonance frequency of the generating device 20
  • the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor are higher than those when the two resonance systems, the resonator 10 and the generating device 20 , have the same resonance frequency.
  • the definition of designing the resonance frequency to be lower, as described above, may be to design such that ⁇ 3 dB widths (half-widths) of resonance frequency bands of the generating device 20 and the resonator 10 do not overlap with each other.
  • FIG. 8( a ) illustrates a relationship between a resonator-normalized frequency and a voltage amplification factor
  • FIG. 8( b ) illustrates a relationship between a resonator-normalized frequency and a power amplification factor
  • FIG. 8( c ) illustrates a relationship between a resonator-normalized frequency and a piezoelectric generator-normalized frequency.
  • a resonator-normalized frequency is a value (f1/fa) obtained by normalizing the resonance frequency of the resonator 10 in the first-order mode to the resonance frequency of the generating device 20
  • a piezoelectric generator-normalized frequency is a value obtained by normalizing the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric power generator A to the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 alone.
  • both the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor gradually decrease when the resonator-normalized frequency is 1 or more.
  • the resonator-normalized frequency is 1 or less, as the resonator-normalized frequency decreases, both the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor increase and reach their maximum values at about a resonator-normalized frequency of 0.5.
  • the voltage and the power are amplified more effectively than when the resonator 10 and the generating device 20 have the same resonance frequency.
  • the maximum amplification effect is achieved when the resonator 10 is designed such that the resonator-normalized frequency is in the range of 0.40 to 0.95.
  • the voltage amplification factor and the power amplification factor tend to decrease when the resonator-normalized frequency is less than 0.4. This is because the coil springs 12 a and 12 b forming the spring means 12 are too soft to ensure sufficient restoring force against deformation.
  • the resonator-normalized frequency and the piezoelectric generator-normalized frequency are substantially proportional when the resonator-normalized frequency is less than 0.6.
  • the slope decreases and the piezoelectric generator-normalized frequency gradually approaches 1 .
  • the vibration of the resonator 10 decreases and the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric power generator becomes closer to the resonance frequency of the generating device 20 .
  • FIG. 9 illustrates a second embodiment of the piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • a piezoelectric power generator B of the present embodiment uses four coil springs 12 c to 12 f as the spring means 12 .
  • the coil springs 12 c to 12 f are spaced in the X-direction on both sides of the generating device 20 , and are also spaced in the Y-direction.
  • the piezoelectric power generator B of the present embodiment is the same as the piezoelectric power generator A of the first embodiment, except for the configuration of the spring means 12 .
  • the spring means 12 in the present embodiment stabilizes the position of the swing axis CS of the first weight member 13 , and reduces movement in the right-and-left direction (i.e., swing about the Y-axis). It is thus possible to efficiently convert an external vibration to a swing of the first weight member 13 , further amplify the amount of displacement of the generating device 20 , and increase the amount of power generated by the piezoelectric power generator B. Note that any number of coil springs can be used in any arrangement.
  • FIG. 10 illustrates a third embodiment of the piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • a piezoelectric power generator C of the present embodiment uses four U-shaped leaf springs 12 g to 12 j as the spring means 12 .
  • the arrangement of the leaf springs 12 g to 12 j is the same as the arrangement of the coil springs 12 c to 12 f illustrated in FIG. 9 .
  • the piezoelectric power generator C of the present embodiment is the same as the piezoelectric power generator A of the first embodiment, except for the configuration of the spring means 12 .
  • the effects of the present embodiment are the same as those of the second embodiment.
  • Using the leaf springs, instead of the coil springs, as the spring means 12 facilitates attachment of the spring means 12 to the base member 11 and the first weight member 13 . Note that the leaf springs do not necessarily need to be U-shaped, and the number of the leaf springs does not necessarily need to be four.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates a generating device used in a fourth embodiment of the piezoelectric power generator according to the present invention.
  • a piezoelectric power generator D of the present embodiment uses a generating device 30 as the generating device.
  • the generating device 30 of the present embodiment includes a vibrating plate 31 such as a metal plate, piezoelectric elements 32 a to 32 c bonded to both principal surfaces of the vibrating plate 31 , and a second weight member 33 for excitation. Note that the piezoelectric elements 32 a to 32 c are omitted in FIG. 11( a ).
  • the piezoelectric power generator D of the present embodiment is the same as the piezoelectric power generator A of the first embodiment, except for the configuration of the generating device 30 .
  • a fixed portion 31 d which is one end of the vibrating plate 31 , is secured to the upper surface of the support base portion 13 b of the first weight member 13 .
  • the other end of the vibrating plate 31 is a free end, and is provided with the second weight member 33 attached thereto.
  • the vibrating plate 31 has a U-shaped through portion between the one end and the other end thereof.
  • the through portion has a portion located adjacent to the one end of the vibrating plate 31 and extending in the X-axis direction; and two portions located between the one end and the other end of the vibrating plate 31 and adjacent to respective end portions of the vibrating plate 31 along the longitudinal direction, the two portions extending in the Y-axis direction.
  • the other end of the vibrating plate 31 has notches on both sides of the portion to which the second weight member 33 is attached.
  • the vibrating plate 31 has first to third arm portions 31 a to 31 c and first and second folded portions 31 e and 31 f .
  • the first arm portions 31 a and the second arm portions 31 b are provided in pairs on both right and left sides of the third arm portion 31 c . Therefore, the vibrating plate 31 is symmetric with respect to an axial line CL passing through the center of the third arm portion 31 c .
  • the first arm portions 31 a are located at the respective end portions of the vibrating plate 31 along the longitudinal direction and extend in the Y-axis direction.
  • the first arm portions 31 a gradually narrow from the fixed portion 31 d toward the second weight member 33 .
  • first arm portions 31 a are connected to the fixed portion 31 d
  • the other ends of the first arm portions 31 a are connected via the respective first folded portions 31 e to respective one ends of the second arm portions 31 b
  • the second arm portions 31 b face the respective first arm portions 31 a across the through portion, and extend in the Y-axis direction.
  • the second arm portions 31 b gradually narrow from the fixed portion 31 d toward the second weight member 33 .
  • One ends of the second arm portions 31 b are connected via the respective first folded portions 31 e to the respective other ends of the first arm portions 31 a
  • the other ends of the second arm portions 31 b are connected via the respective second folded portions 31 f to one end of the third arm portion 31 c .
  • the third arm portion 31 c faces the second arm portions 31 b across the notches, and extends in the Y-axis direction.
  • the third arm portion 31 c gradually narrows from the fixed portion 31 d toward the second weight member 33 .
  • One end of the third arm portion 31 c is connected via the second folded portions 31 f to the other ends of the second arm portions 31 b , whereas the other end of the third arm portion 31 c is a free end to which the second weight member 33 is attached.
  • the piezoelectric elements 32 a are bonded to the respective lower surfaces of the first arm portions 31 a
  • the piezoelectric elements 32 b are bonded to the respective upper surfaces of the second arm portions 31 b
  • the piezoelectric element 32 c is bonded to the lower surface of the third arm portion 31 c .
  • the piezoelectric elements 32 a to 32 c are geometrically similar to the corresponding arm portions.
  • the piezoelectric power generator D of the present embodiment substantially the same amount of bending stress is generated in each arm portion, and the bending stress is substantially uniformly distributed across the length of each arm portion. Therefore, the amount of power generated by the piezoelectric power generator D is greater than that generated by any of the piezoelectric power generators A to C of the first to third embodiments, each of which includes the vibrating plate 21 formed by a single arm portion.
  • the piezoelectric power generator of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes may be made thereto.
  • the spring means is not limited to coil springs or leaf springs, and the number of the spring means is not limited to two or four.
  • the first weight member is L-shaped in lateral view in the embodiments described above, the first weight member may be of any shape.
  • the fixed position of the generating device is not limited to one end portion as in the embodiments described above.
  • a guide means may be added which guides the first weight member and allows it to move only in the up-and-down direction. Examples of the guide means include a wall or a post that is secured to or integrally formed with the base member 11 , and slidably guides both sides of the first weight member 13 .
  • a to D piezoelectric power generator

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  • General Electrical Machinery Utilizing Piezoelectricity, Electrostriction Or Magnetostriction (AREA)
  • Apparatuses For Generation Of Mechanical Vibrations (AREA)
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US9941822B2 (en) * 2012-11-13 2018-04-10 Perpetuum Ltd. Generator and method for converting vibrational energy into electrical energy
US20180234033A1 (en) * 2012-11-13 2018-08-16 Perpetuum Ltd. Generator and Method for Converting Vibrational Energy into Electrical Energy
US10461670B2 (en) * 2012-11-13 2019-10-29 Perpetuum Ltd. Generator and method for converting vibrational energy into electrical energy
US11329576B2 (en) 2017-08-29 2022-05-10 Tri-Force Management Corporation Power generating element
US20220166406A1 (en) * 2019-04-15 2022-05-26 Kyocera Tikitin Oy Microelectromechanical resonator
US12323131B2 (en) * 2019-04-15 2025-06-03 Kyocera Technologies Oy Spring-mass microelectromechanical resonator
US20220201375A1 (en) * 2019-09-27 2022-06-23 Gentle Energy Corp. Self-powered sensor, and monitoring system including same
US11856344B2 (en) * 2019-09-27 2023-12-26 Gentle Energy Corp. Self-powered sensor, and monitoring system including same
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US12677596B2 (en) * 2022-06-14 2026-07-07 Zhejiang Gongshang University Piezoelectric vibration energy harvester and design method thereof

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US20130320807A1 (en) 2013-12-05
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WO2012137695A1 (ja) 2012-10-11
JPWO2012137695A1 (ja) 2014-07-28
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CN103460592B (zh) 2016-04-06
JP5761336B2 (ja) 2015-08-12

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